Response of oribatid mites to reforestation of degraded tropical montane pastureland

Conversion of Andean montane forests into plantations: Effects on soil characteristics, microorganisms, and microarthropods

“…This suggests that in particular in pine plantations, the density of oribatid mites increases as the trees mature, which is similar to patterns reported for aboveground animal groups in monoculture tree plantations such as birds (Clout & Gaze, 1984;Donald, Fuller, Evans, & Gough, 1998;Lopez & Moro, 1997) and insects (Lindenmayer & Hobbs, 2004;Pawson, Brockerhoff, Meenken, & Didham, 2008). Ramírez Castillo et al (2018) attributed the higher density of oribatid mites in young pine plantations mainly to the thick organic litter layer in these plantations.…”

“…In younger (7-year-old) pine and alder plantations in the region, differences between alder and pine plantations were not as pronounced, with about 25,000 ind./m 2 in alder and 35,000 ind./m 2 in pine plantations, while in abandoned pastures, oribatid mite density was considerably lower (ca. 15,000 ind./m 2 ; Ramírez Castillo et al, 2018). This suggests that in particular in pine plantations, the density of oribatid mites increases as the trees mature, which is similar to patterns reported for aboveground animal groups in monoculture tree plantations such as birds (Clout & Gaze, 1984;Donald, Fuller, Evans, & Gough, 1998;Lopez & Moro, 1997) and insects (Lindenmayer & Hobbs, 2004;Pawson, Brockerhoff, Meenken, & Didham, 2008).…”

“…In our study, the percentage of parthenogenetic species did not differ between the three vegetation types (~40%) and was similar to undisturbed tropical montane rain forests (34%; Marian et al, 2018). By contrast, in pastures and young pine plantations in the region it was much higher (75%; Ramírez Castillo et al, 2018). This indicates that resources become more scarce and structured with increasing age of plantations, thereby approaching conditions similar to those in undisturbed montane rain forests in close proximity to the study site.…”

“…However, both plantation types appear to provide suitable conditions for the establishment of functionally diverse microarthropod communities, and reforestation with both native and non-native tree species may speed up rather than retard the recovery of the decomposer food web after deforestation (Ramírez Castillo et al, 2018).…”

“…With a lifespan of typically between one to two years and low reproductive output, oribatid mites invest strongly in defense mechanisms, such as camouflage, strong sclerotization, defensive glands, and protective structures and, as a result, are well defended and little preyed upon by mesofauna predators (Heethoff, Koerner, Norton, & Raspotnig, 2011;Heethoff & Raspotnig, 2012;Peschel, Norton, Scheu, & Maraun, 2006;Schneider & Maraun, 2009; Figure 2). Major structuring forces of oribatid mite communities, besides resource availability and quality, include soil pH and habitat space, that is, low pH and thick organic layers favor oribatid mite density and species richness (Maraun & Scheu, 2000;Ramírez Castillo et al, 2018;Schaefer & Schauermann, 1990). Changes in the availability and quality of resources are also associated with the reproductive mode in oribatid mite communities.…”